caramel apples

Ever since my neighbor brought over a few caramel apples last week, I've been craving more. I decided this morning that if I had all of the ingredients already in my pantry, then I could make my own. And I did! Hooray! I used this caramel recipe, but I halved it. Half of a batch would easily cover 8-10 small apples, I'd say. I used smashed pretzels, kosher salt, and chopped snickers from my kids' trick-or-treat loot for the toppings. I made sure to leave one or two plain for Mike because he's kind of boring like that. What do you like on your caramel apples?

p.s. This tutorial from the Pioneer Woman is kind of helpful, too.

a costume report

Stella started the weekend in pink as "Barbie as a rock star fairy princess". On Saturday, she decided to be a "wedding girl" instead. And that is why I don't worry about finding her a costume. I know she will change her mind a million times. Luckily we have a well-stocked dress-up collection. What will she wear to her preschool Halloween party this morning? Probably something else. For a girl who has multiple wardrobe changes on an ordinary day, Halloween is lots of fun.

Elliot didn't dress up this year. I mean, I didn't dress Elliot up this year. He didn't seem to mind, he was just pleased to find a bounce house. He had a lucky few minutes in there all by himself.

Mabel was a bat. Not Bat Woman. Just a plain old bat, thank you very much.

Oliver wanted to be a blue wizard with a slouchy hat. His wish was my command.

We rounded out our weekend with lots of candy and some face painting.

It was fun, but is Halloween over yet?

through rise colored glasses

So I think my addiction to instagram is well documented. But, oh dear, it might be getting worse. The newest version of the app has a filter called "rise". It is bright and soft and golden. It is exactly how I imagine my life to look. Try as I might, I just can't bring myself to use the other filters. I'm stuck. In a beautiful, dreamy, happy rut.

Life is just easier when it's nice outside.

That's what I realized today. Because today we had completely perfect weather. Oh, it was heaven! It's just the little things, like loading the kids in the car. Or walking across a parking lot. Or playing at the park. It's easier when the sun isn't beating down on you, making you sweat right through your shirt. Hooray for fall! All of our windows are currently open and a seriously cool breeze is blowing through the house. I hope it's finally here to stay.

real quick

As I am typing this, Stella is downstairs with my mom, chatting her ear off before bed. I don't think she has stopped talking since my parents came to town.

My dad had to head home this morning, but luckily my mom will still be here for a few more days. We are having fun. Lots of hugging and playing and eating are happening over here. I made these enchiladas for dinner tonight with this pork and this salad. Yum.

Hope your week is off to a good start!

my little swede

The other day I put Elliot in his cozy Hanna Andersson pants, and with his bright blonde hair, I thought he looked a bit Swedish (minus that enviable Scandinavian height). He has a mouth full of teeth, and I am starting to realize that all of the words he is babbling are actually real words. I'm not ready for this boy to be so grown up! I'm just so glad that he's little, and still likes to rock and hug. Otherwise, I think I'd be kind of a mess about it.

Have any fun things planned this weekend? My parents are in town so my kids are hoping for lots of hugs and time with their cousins.

I am hoping for some nice fall weather. I don't think it's going to happen, though. Blast.

pumpkin round-up

Here you go, nine of my favorite pumpkin recipes in one place:

1. melt in your mouth pumpkin cookies
2. pumpkin gingerbread bars
3. double chocolate pumpkin cake with pumpkin spice buttercream
4. pumpkin spice magic bars
5. my Aunt Lucille's pumpkin bread
6. pumpkin cream cheese muffins
7. pumpkin spice whoopies
8. pumpkin crumb cake
9. pumpkin cookies

Enjoy!

pumpkin + cream cheese

What is it about pumpkin and cream cheese? Guy, they are so good together. Last night was our semi-annual block party. I brought pumpkin recipe no. six to share. Technically, these are muffins, but they are so sweet, they could definitely qualify as dessert. The streusel on top and the cream cheese surprise in the center make them a solid winner in my book.

date night and french toast

Wowee, Mike and I are on a roll. We've gone on a date for the past two weekends straight. I'm so proud of us. Getting everything and everyone ready for bed and a babysitter before we leave can be stressful, but it is so worth it! Saturday night we went to dinner and the apple store. I love eating food that I did not prepare. Without kids. It was so nice and easy and relaxing. 

On Sunday morning we found more eggs in the nesting boxes than we've seen all summer. That totally called for french toast. So we mixed the eggs with some milk and cinnamon and a day old loaf of bread, and we were in breakfast business. The kids were so stuffed that they didn't even beg for one of Elliot's snacks during church. I don't remember the last time that happened.

How was your weekend? I hope it was nice wherever you are. It's still too hot here. Blah.

p.s. Our favorite feature of the Grand Wagoneer is the cozy date night bench seating. It's one of the best things we've done for our marriage.

the smell of pumpkin bread first thing in the morning

Today is a good day. We had pumpkin bread for breakfast and will spend the afternoon working on Halloween costumes. We might even go to the park once it cools off a bit. Pumpkin recipe no. five is an oldie, but a goodie. I'm pretty sure that I post my great Aunt Lucille's pumpkin bread recipe on this blog every year, but it really is the best. Plain and simple and just darn good. I don't think anything says fall better.

Have a good weekend!

the best part of yesterday

Sometimes, when Elliot wakes up from his nap, he's not really ready to wake up. So we hug on my bed for a bit. I love when that happens.

pumpkin + magic

On to pumpkin recipe no. four. I doubled this recipe and baked it in an 8 inch square pan instead of the mini cheesecake pan called for in the recipe. (I don't have a mini cheesecake pan, but now that I think about it, maybe a muffin pan would have worked?) Anyway, doubling it might have been a mistake. I baked it for 45 minutes, until it was golden brown on top, and it took forever to cool off and firm up. (I left it in the fridge overnight, which helped.) That is not to say that it wasn't good. Because it was. It was just kind of gooey. And also, whoa nellie, these were intense. So rich that just a bite is all you need (even though I ate quite a bit more than just a bite, darn it). My verdict: as good as they were, and as much as I liked them, I kept wishing that I was eating this instead.

our favorite fhe activity

When I am an old lady, nights like this will be my favorite to remember, I think. I love our little family bike rides in the cool, fall evening light. Last night's ride ended with a trip to the park. It was just about perfect.

pumpkin + chocolate

Pumpkin recipe no. three was good. Despite the nearly full can of pumpkin puree called for in the recipe, this chocolate cake has a very subtle pumpkin flavor, which makes it an easy crowd pleaser. After all, I know that not everyone is as obsessed with pumpkin desserts as I am. It is super moist and chocolatey and delicious. But my favorite part by far is the pumpkin spice butter cream frosting. I am trying to think of other things I can spread it on. Graham crackers? Brownies? My fingers? Yum!

This just in: this cake is even more delicious the next day.

this weekend

We enjoyed sweater weather for about a second, just long enough to make me realize that we are completely unprepared for cooler temperatures. I don't think Elliot owns one pair of pants. But, it will be back up into the high 90s again this week, so I won't quite worry about it yet.

We took the sun screens off the Arizona room windows for the season! Yipee! Our house immediately became about a thousand times brighter inside. I know those darn screens keep our house cooler in the summer, but I just hate them. Taking them down each fall is my most favorite chore of the whole year.

Also, I thatched the yard and Mike planted our winter grass. And now I can't move my back. Ouch. I am so weak. Or maybe just old?

Anyway, we rewarded our hard work with a date night. Sushi and ice cream make such a great combo. Yum.

It was a solid gold weekend. How was yours?

I canned.

So, my sister-in-law, Ginger, and I decided to do some canning a couple of weeks ago. It was my first time, and it was fun! We realized after the fact that it wasn't super cost effective, but I think my tomatoes look pretty all lined up in my pantry, so it was probably worth it. :)

I'm not sure if I'll ever do it again. But if I did, what should I try next?

pumpkin + gingerbread

Pumpkin recipe no. two was a success. It was just what I was expecting. Sweet and creamy pumpkin center, with a crunchy streusel-like topping and rich gingerbread cookie crust. Luckily I halved the recipe. Otherwise, I think I'd be tempted to eat the whole pan.

winners and rain, glorious rain

It rained last night! And not only did it rain, but the air was cool. Like I needed a sweater 70 degrees cool. I've never felt anything so wonderful. Just when I thought the heat was going to be the death of me. Oh, I love the end of summer.

And now, happy congratulations to

and 

 !

rachel, you are the new winner of the DownEast Girl giveaway! shauntel, you won something from DownEast Woman! Hooray for you both. Please send your order info to me at barefootstephanie@gmail.com asap, and I will forward it on to DownEast.

Giveaways are so fun. We should do it again sometime.

the most wonderful time of the year

I've been pinning pumpkin recipes like a mad woman. So when I finally saw a small stack of canned pumpkin at my grocery store on Saturday, I went weak in the knees. This was the first recipe I tried. If you don't forget the salt like I did, these cookies are probably really great. As it was, mine were kind of a miss. But, I still think they looked pretty. And they were so light and fluffy, they really did melt in your mouth. Let me assure you, one missed ingredient is not enough to deter me. There are so many more pumpkin recipes to try! I promise to let you know how they turn out.

For now, I am looking forward to cooler temperatures and lots of cozy days spent baking in my kitchen.

p.s. Don't forget to enter the DownEast giveaway. Today is the last day!

weekend in review

I am a Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This weekend was our church's General Conference. So we moved the computer into our room and hunkered down for two days to listen and learn. I look forward to this weekend every October (and again in April). It means a change in season, waffles, lots of family time, and most importantly, hearing from our Prophet and other church leaders. This weekend definitely did not disappoint. I heard lots of things that I needed to hear, but these two talks stood out to me the most: Elder Ian S. Ardern on the wise use of time (oh man, I needed this one!) and Elder Tad R. Callister about the Book of Mormon.

What did you think of Elaine S. Dalton's talk for fathers? I sure loved it.

What did you do this weekend?